Container Gardening

My back yard is too shady for most plants to want to grow (or at least most plants I want to grow).  So, this year I'm doing minimal work on the back garden.  Instead, I'm taking over some of the space in the front yard.  I don't have the money to build the raised beds I'd love to have, so instead I'm doing a bunch of container plants.  I have several Tidy Cats tubs with plants (cucumbers currently), a kids' pool with lettuce, a small planter from Home Depot with Jalapenos in it and a container with Hutterite beans.   I also have two strawberry planters out.  One actually has strawberries in it, the other has some rosemary and lemon balm.  Neither is totally filled, so I have room for some other herbs and such.

I want to get some more containers and try carrots, tomatoes, green beans and other stuff.  The area I'm taking over is between the ivy island and the front walk.  There's no grass growing there, so I'm not invading lawn space.  It will, though, give me enough sun to actually grow stuff with.  We'll see how that works out.